First solid foods for babies

First foods my daughters got were rice cereal (very low allergenic)
then I started them in with fruits and vegetables (finely pureed, no
added anything, cooked at home). Young developing systems need
different foods and tastes than adult systems.

Aramanth

Stan Marks said:

Hello, all...

Our little boy is six months old and appears ready for solid foods. (He
has been exclusively breast-fed until now.) His pediatrician has
recommended starting him on cereals, but we do not think that cereals
are good choices for a baby's first solid foods, so we are wondering if
any of you would share your experiences and recommendations on the
subject. Links to web sites would be appreciated.

TIA,

Stan Marks

I don't think that cereals are a 'bad' choice for baby's first food.
Aramanth suggested rice cereal and that was what both of my children started
on. Vegetables (sweeter vegetables like carrots are better introduced after
other 'non-sweet' veggies) should be next, then fruits last. Meats are in
there somewhere, maybe after veggies. With my kids, I noticed that they
always liked the sweeter fruits and veggies best, so we tried to get them
used to other tastes first.

Also, I bought baby food in jars for my first child, but got smart with the
second and never bought a jar of baby food fruit or veggies for him. I
bought no-salt added veggies and used a mini food processor (Sunbeam Oscar)
to puree them. Much cheaper and easier to do. I also gave him fresh
veggies and fruit besides the canned.

--
Linda
296/208/160
LC since Oct. 13, 2003
http://home.att.net/~lewis_linda/index.html

"Stan Marks" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello, all...

Our little boy is six months old and appears ready for solid foods. (He
has been exclusively breast-fed until now.) His pediatrician has
recommended starting him on cereals, but we do not think that cereals
are good choices for a baby's first solid foods, so we are wondering if
any of you would share your experiences and recommendations on the
subject. Links to web sites would be appreciated.

TIA,

Stan Marks

Quoted message said:

I don't think that cereals are a 'bad' choice for baby's first food.
Aramanth suggested rice cereal and that was what both of my children

started

Quoted message said:

on. Vegetables (sweeter vegetables like carrots are better introduced

after

Quoted message said:

other 'non-sweet' veggies) should be next, then fruits last. Meats are in
there somewhere, maybe after veggies. With my kids, I noticed that they
always liked the sweeter fruits and veggies best, so we tried to get them
used to other tastes first.

Also, I bought baby food in jars for my first child, but got smart with

the

Quoted message said:

second and never bought a jar of baby food fruit or veggies for him. I
bought no-salt added veggies and used a mini food processor (Sunbeam

Oscar)

Quoted message said:

to puree them. Much cheaper and easier to do. I also gave him fresh
veggies and fruit besides the canned.

Were you at all concerned with the pesticides or other chemicals in the
fresh veggies and fruits that are taken out with the jarred processed kind?

I considered making Morgan's foods, but was warned against it.

Morgan is 4 1/2 months old. I will try to NOT introduce solids until she is
6 months along. I will begin with Rice Cereal and then move on to veggies
and fruits. She will continue to breastfeed. Meat will be introduced when
she is a year old.

Of course that may change.......lol!

~Carol Ann
www.lowcarblosers.com ~ Home of the FREE Monthly Weightloss Challenge

http://tinyurl.com/33uk7 <---Recent Pictures of Morgan born 3.24.04

Stan Marks said:

Hello, all...

Our little boy is six months old and appears ready for solid foods. (He
has been exclusively breast-fed until now.) His pediatrician has
recommended starting him on cereals, but we do not think that cereals
are good choices for a baby's first solid foods, so we are wondering if
any of you would share your experiences and recommendations on the
subject. Links to web sites would be appreciated.

TIA,

Stan Marks

Hi Stan,

I have three children and breastfed them as well. Did you know being
breastfed means they are less likely to be overweight when they are older?

I fed mine on demand and carried that philosophy over to their solid
foods. I never ever cajoled them into eating. I knew by that time (about
six months) they would eat if they were hungry and would refuse if they
weren't. Of course, they soon progressed to stealing food off my plate,
or off the floor :-)I think the "clean your plate" idea is what gets a
lot of us into weight problems. Your baby at this age is still going to
get most of his calories from breastmilk, anyway. The solids are mostly
for learning at first.

Here's is a link for you http://www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/solids.html

They don't tell you what to start with but I agree that rice cereal is a
good start. I started bananas early too because when you mash them they
are a lot like breast milk, which by the way is very sweet.

Donna

"Stan Marks" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello, all...

Our little boy is six months old and appears ready for solid foods. (He
has been exclusively breast-fed until now.) His pediatrician has
recommended starting him on cereals, but we do not think that cereals
are good choices for a baby's first solid foods, so we are wondering if
any of you would share your experiences and recommendations on the
subject. Links to web sites would be appreciated.

TIA,

Stan Marks

My very first solid food was bites of a BBQ beef sandwich the folks were
eating. I never got 'baby food' or any of that other [censored], they just minced
up portions of their food for me. I thank them for that to this day because
I'm sure that's why I never became habitualized to a really poor diet. I
simply got fat from too large potions sizes of good stuff...as well as a
very lengthy illness.

So that being said, let your baby smell everything you eat. If he reacts,
feed him a few bites and let him tell YOU what he's ready for :-)

--
Peace,
Pen
--
Pawbreakers - The Candy for Cats!
http://www.pawbreakers.com

"Ignoramus18740" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Lady o' the house said:

I think that it is vaulable to not teach children to depend on sweet
taste too much.

Wholeheartedly agree with this statement.

--
Peace,
Pen
--
Pawbreakers - The Candy for Cats!
http://www.pawbreakers.com

Quoted message said:

i

runmum said:

Stan Marks said:

Hello, all...

Our little boy is six months old and appears ready for solid foods.
(He has been exclusively breast-fed until now.) His pediatrician has
recommended starting him on cereals, but we do not think that cereals
are good choices for a baby's first solid foods, so we are wondering
if any of you would share your experiences and recommendations on the
subject. Links to web sites would be appreciated.

TIA,

Stan Marks

Hi Stan,

I think the "clean your plate" idea is what gets a

Quoted message said:

lot of us into weight problems.y the way is very sweet.

Donna

I grew up under that teaching. It ruined my sister's eating habits and
was probably the cause to my 3 year fat spell. I was cleaning my plate
and my daughters too when she didn’t finish her meals. Perhaps it was a
cheap, don’t waste food philosophy, but it was a bad mistake.
Especially in the world today where restaurants generally serve well
over a single serving on each entree they deliver to the table. I try
to suggest taking small portions and trying new foods. A good concept
but it seems to fall on deaf ears when I preach it to my 13 year old
daughter. I wish I would have taught it before she was so “smart”.

Yes, I was concerned about chemicals. But the only 'unprocessed' fruits and
veggies I gave him were those that could be peeled (ie, bananas, potato,
etc.). He's been healthy ever since. As a matter of fact, DH and I joke
that he must be a 'changeling' because, while the rest of us are obese, he's
a skinny little thing. He's not a big eater like the rest of us, but rather
he's a 'grazer.'

I applaud your resolve not to feed Morgan solids until she is 6 months old.
My MIL was babysitting my daughter (firstborn) when she was a couple of
months old. SHE started giving my daughter cereal, mixed in her bottle of
formula to thicken it, when she was about 2 months old. Her reasoning was
that she would take an 8oz. bottle and be hungry again in 2 hours. And like
the inexperienced mom I was, I let MIL do it. Sometimes I wonder if that
could have anything to do with her obesity.

Good for you, Carol! Stick to your guns if anyone tries to sway you from
your doctor's advice.

--
Linda
296/208/160
LC since Oct. 13, 2003
http://home.att.net/~lewis_linda/index.html

"Carol Ann" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:oWhRc.264930$Oq2.201168@attbi_s52...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I don't think that cereals are a 'bad' choice for baby's first food.
Aramanth suggested rice cereal and that was what both of my children

started

Quoted message said:

on. Vegetables (sweeter vegetables like carrots are better introduced

after

Quoted message said:

other 'non-sweet' veggies) should be next, then fruits last. Meats are

in

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

there somewhere, maybe after veggies. With my kids, I noticed that they
always liked the sweeter fruits and veggies best, so we tried to get

them

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

used to other tastes first.

Also, I bought baby food in jars for my first child, but got smart with

the

Quoted message said:

second and never bought a jar of baby food fruit or veggies for him. I
bought no-salt added veggies and used a mini food processor (Sunbeam

Oscar)

Quoted message said:

to puree them. Much cheaper and easier to do. I also gave him fresh
veggies and fruit besides the canned.

Were you at all concerned with the pesticides or other chemicals in the
fresh veggies and fruits that are taken out with the jarred processed

kind?

Quoted message said:

I considered making Morgan's foods, but was warned against it.

Morgan is 4 1/2 months old. I will try to NOT introduce solids until she

is

Quoted message said:

6 months along. I will begin with Rice Cereal and then move on to veggies
and fruits. She will continue to breastfeed. Meat will be introduced when
she is a year old.

Of course that may change.......lol!

~Carol Ann
www.lowcarblosers.com ~ Home of the FREE Monthly Weightloss Challenge

http://tinyurl.com/33uk7 <---Recent Pictures of Morgan born 3.24.04

Cereals, specifically rice cereal, is what many pediatricians and family
doctors recommend as a first food, as it is the most non-allergenic.

As far as most cereals being bad, I have to disagree. If you are talking
about baby food, the kind you have to mix with formula, it is a healthy
choice. I think where we get into trouble is when we call some foods bad
(okay, not including overly processed sugars, junk food, etc.), when we
should be encouraging our children to have healthy attitudes and teaching
them about making good nutritional choices. I know this won't apply to
children with diabetes or other nutritional illnesses, and they are the
exception. Where my 9 year old son is concerned, I still feel that
moderation is the key, not the exclusion of a food group. Like I said
before, he is thinner than the rest of the family and not food obsessed like
I was when I was his age.

YMMV.

--
Linda
296/208/160
LC since Oct. 13, 2003
http://home.att.net/~lewis_linda/index.html

"Ignoramus18740" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Lady o' the house said:

Quoted message said:

I don't think that cereals are a 'bad' choice for baby's first food.
Aramanth suggested rice cereal and that was what both of my children

started

Quoted message said:

I think that most cereals are bad, but some are better. Specifically,
there are some unsweetened cereals, somethinglike oat bran cheerios of
sorts. Mine liked them a lot.

I think that it is vaulable to not teach children to depend on sweet
taste too much.

i

I started mine all on solids very young, about 6 weeks and none are fat as
adults.

In news:[email hidden],
Lady o' the house <[email hidden]> stated
| Yes, I was concerned about chemicals. But the only 'unprocessed'
| fruits and veggies I gave him were those that could be peeled (ie,
| bananas, potato, etc.). He's been healthy ever since. As a matter
| of fact, DH and I joke that he must be a 'changeling' because, while
| the rest of us are obese, he's a skinny little thing. He's not a big
| eater like the rest of us, but rather he's a 'grazer.'
|
| I applaud your resolve not to feed Morgan solids until she is 6
| months old. My MIL was babysitting my daughter (firstborn) when she
| was a couple of months old. SHE started giving my daughter cereal,
| mixed in her bottle of formula to thicken it, when she was about 2
| months old. Her reasoning was that she would take an 8oz. bottle and
| be hungry again in 2 hours. And like the inexperienced mom I was, I
| let MIL do it. Sometimes I wonder if that could have anything to do
| with her obesity.
|
| Good for you, Carol! Stick to your guns if anyone tries to sway you
| from your doctor's advice.
|
| --
| Linda
| 296/208/160
| LC since Oct. 13, 2003
| http://home.att.net/~lewis_linda/index.html
|
|

Carol Ann said:

Were you at all concerned with the pesticides or other chemicals in the
fresh veggies and fruits that are taken out with the jarred processed kind?

At first, my girls ONLY had cooked-and-pureed foods. Washed, peeled,
cooked pretty much killed off any problems. I preferred home-made
foods because that way I could be CERTAIN they were
single-ingrediants, no added sweetening or anything else. Because we
have a STRONG family history of allergies, this was really important
to me. Single-foods initially are a good way of being certain it's
*really* <say> carrots they were allergic to rather than the potatoes
mashed with it.

So far, we haven't identified any food allergies with them, but they
do have some environmental allergies we have to consider.

Quoted message said:

I considered making Morgan's foods, but was warned against it.

Who warned you against it? The nurses at the Baby Health Centre I
went to encouraged feeding your baby home cooked foods wholeheartedly,
as did the paediatrician we took Athena to (in Oz, babies are normally
seen by the family doctor but Athena got the Specialist Paedi
treatment because of being a few days short of 2 months premature).
They felt that the VERY slight risk of pesticide exposure was well and
truly outweighed by the benefit of knowing EXACTLY what went into the
foods my girls were eating.

Quoted message said:

Morgan is 4 1/2 months old. I will try to NOT introduce solids until she is
6 months along. I will begin with Rice Cereal and then move on to veggies
and fruits. She will continue to breastfeed. Meat will be introduced when
she is a year old.

Good for you. I couldn't fully breastfeed although I tried. I just
didn't lactate with either baby, despite all my efforts and planning.
My mother had the same problem, although my sisters were both good
cows.

Athena started out on cereal at 4 months of age (corrected age, 2
months) out of sheer desperation on my part because even with bottles
she was ravenous every 90 minutes or so. My mother suggested that
very runny cereal might 'stick with her' for longer. She didn't have
it in a bottle - off a spoon and she loved every bite! She seemed to
thrive on it and her paedi said it was obviously agreeing with her
since her growth rate improved and her general health was excellent.
She had been having a lot of the early signs of being 'ready' so I
guess she was just an early developer that way.

Ishtar was closer to 8 months before she showed any interest in
solids. This is still within normal ranges so I didn't worry too
much.

Both my girls are tall, strong and healthy, on about the 90th
percentile for height and weight for Athena (9 years old and extremely
active) 90th and 50th for Ishtar (8 years old, a little less active
and eats rather more lightly). Feeding them as I did obviously didn't
have any ill effects.

Quoted message said:

Of course that may change.......lol!

~Carol Ann

Carol Ann, when Morgan starts in on solid foods she'll soon let you
know what she likes and dislikes. You may find her 'eyeing off' your
dinner (I often did) and giving her a sample of something in an
appropriate texture may well open her horizons some more. You're
doing a great job of raising your beautiful little girl.

Aramanth

Stan Marks said:

Hello, all...

Our little boy is six months old and appears ready for solid foods. (He
has been exclusively breast-fed until now.) His pediatrician has
recommended starting him on cereals, but we do not think that cereals
are good choices for a baby's first solid foods, so we are wondering if
any of you would share your experiences and recommendations on the
subject. Links to web sites would be appreciated.

How about whizzed up Atkins Endulge bars? <grin/duck>

Seriously, though, rice is a pretty benign grain to begin with, but
since you've got your reservations about cereal, how about bananas?

Apparently Atkins has been thinking about this as well. I honestly can't tell
if this article is serious or a joke though 🙂 Some of the names of the items
sound wayyyyy out there!
http://www.usedwigs.com/weekly_61.html

Atkins Introduces Low-Carb Baby Food

Yesterday in Chicago, Veronica Atkins (widow of diet guru Dr. Robert Atkins)
and Fred Duffner (vice president of Atkins Nutritionals, Inc.) unveiled a new
line of Atkins-friendly baby and toddler foods.

Prior to showing the new product to the media and public, Atkins said, "Obesity
in America's children and teens has reached epidemic proportions and we here at
Atkins believe the only way to stop it is to jump-start good dietary habits
during infancy…the Atkins way!" Atkins then spoke at length about the "plague
of obesity," "killer carbs" and the "healthening up of the babies."

"God Bless America" played in the background as a PowerPoint presentation
projected behind her displaying numerous graphs, charts and photos of
chubby-cheeked toddlers struggling to toddle while gorging themselves on
carb-laden peeled baby carrots, Goldfish crackers and Cheerios.

"Forget what the pediatricians tell you, babies should start in on a big meat
diet the day they switch to food from milk," Atkins proclaimed to gasps in the
crowd.

With the last notes of the patriotic anthem wafting through the room, a curtain
was raised to unveil some of the new foods that will be on grocery-store
shelves by December. Beautiful, lean female models dressed in baby outfits
danced about as they pointed to oversized versions of baby food jars which sat
on individual pedestals.

The labels had tasty Atkins-friendly names such as: Beef-n-Bacon, Chicken Liver
Jr., Li'l Ribber BBQ Puree and Hamhock Surprise (includes "surprise" bone for
teething). Along with the popular jarred style of baby food, Atkins will be
offering some finger foods for toddler-age kids. These snacks include Pork Rind
Smileys, Dinosaur Jerky—which is actually beef jerky cut into dinosaur
shapes—Groovy Gravy boxes to replace apple-juice sippy cups and Veal-ios, a
baby-cow-based breakfast "cereal" with "that fun O shape that little fingers
love to grab."

"What we have done here…" Duffner explained, "is take longtime Atkins Diet
snack favorites, and make them fun for the kids. With our jerky and rind
products, kids can now learn about shapes and science while staying lean and
healthy the meat-based way."

Although Duffner and Atkins would not comment further, it has also been
reported that Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. and fast-food giant McDonald's are in
talks to produce an Atkins-approved Happy Meal. Sources at Fast Food Monthly
confirm the meal will contain a quarter-pound all-beef patty between two
"McOinky Buns" (100% pork, shaped and colored to resemble a bread product), a
bag of Pork Rind Smileys, and an Atkins high-protein diet shake.

When asked if a meat-centric, high-protein diet was healthy for babies and
toddlers, Duffner replied, "We, as a people, have to reevaluate what 'healthy'
is." When asked to explain, he went on to say, "America is becoming covered
beneath a blanket of obesity and we here at Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. plan on
turning down those covers and making the bed the correct way."

Erika RollerGirl generously shared with us this little ditty:

Quoted message said:

Apparently Atkins has been thinking about this as well. I honestly
can't tell if this article is serious or a joke though 🙂 Some of the
names of the items sound wayyyyy out there!

"Hamhock Surprise (includes "surprise" bone for teething" pegs my joke
meter.

-- revek
"Double Fannucci: A game played with cards." - Encyclopedia Frobozzica

In article <[email hidden]>,

revek said:

Erika RollerGirl generously shared with us this little ditty:

Quoted message said:

Apparently Atkins has been thinking about this as well. I honestly
can't tell if this article is serious or a joke though 🙂 Some of the
names of the items sound wayyyyy out there!

"Hamhock Surprise (includes "surprise" bone for teething" pegs my joke
meter.

You and me both. I was with it, or at least willing to believe it, until
that point.

--
AF
"Non Sequitur U has a really, really lousy debate team."
--artyw raises the bar on rec.sport.baseball

Erika RollerGirl said:

Apparently Atkins has been thinking about this as well. I honestly can't tell
if this article is serious or a joke though 🙂 Some of the names of the items
sound wayyyyy out there!
http://www.usedwigs.com/weekly_61.html
Atkins Introduces Low-Carb Baby Food

Perhaps the slogan on that site's homepage might give you some clue:
"Providing completely worthless news and nonsense since 1999"

--
jamie ([email hidden])

"There's a seeker born every minute."

"Stan Marks" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello, all...

Our little boy is six months old and appears ready for solid foods. (He
has been exclusively breast-fed until now.) His pediatrician has
recommended starting him on cereals, but we do not think that cereals
are good choices for a baby's first solid foods, so we are wondering if
any of you would share your experiences and recommendations on the
subject. Links to web sites would be appreciated.

TIA,

Stan Marks

The latest reports say to breast feed as long as a year.

--
JK Sinrod
Sinrod Stained Glass Studios
www.sinrodstudios.com
Coney Island Memories
www.sinrodstudios.com/coneymemories

jk said:

The latest reports say to breast feed as long as a year.

But were the reports written by women with babies who'd grown
teeth?

--
jamie ([email hidden])

"There's a seeker born every minute."

Quoted message said:

I applaud your resolve not to feed Morgan solids until she is 6 months

old.

Quoted message said:

My MIL was babysitting my daughter (firstborn) when she was a couple of
months old. SHE started giving my daughter cereal, mixed in her bottle of
formula to thicken it, when she was about 2 months old. Her reasoning was
that she would take an 8oz. bottle and be hungry again in 2 hours. And

like

Quoted message said:

the inexperienced mom I was, I let MIL do it. Sometimes I wonder if that
could have anything to do with her obesity.

Was your firstborn breastfed? I read this at askdrsears.com:

Breastfeeding prevents obesity. Even in infancy, breastfed babies as a group
are leaner than their formula-fed peers. Studies have shown that children
who are breastfed are less likely to be obese during adolescence, and that
longer periods of breastfeeding greatly reduce the risk of being overweight
in adulthood. Overweight children are more likely to become overweight
adults. Since breastfed babies themselves control how much they eat (aided
by the changes in fat levels during a feeding session), children who are
breastfed learn to trust their bodies' signals about how much they need to
eat and when. This builds healthy eating habits right from the start.
Although parents might urge a formula-fed baby to finish up the last ounce
or two of milk in the bottle, you can't do this to a breastfed baby. When
she's done, she's done!

Also, great info here: http://askdrsears.com/html/4/T043700.asp#T043705

~Carol Ann